Title: A Very High Spatial Resolution Detector for Small Animal PET

Abstract

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is an in vivo analog of autoradiography and has the potential to become a powerful new tool in imaging biological processes in small laboratory animals. PET imaging of small animals can provide unique information that can help in advancement of human disease models as well as drug development. Clinical PET scanners used for human imaging are bulky, expensive and do not have adequate spatial resolution for small animal studies. Hence, dedicated, low cost instruments are required for conducting small animal studies with higher spatial resolution than what is currently achieved with clinical as well as dedicated small animal PET scanners. The goal of the proposed project is to investigate a new all solid-state detector design for small animal PET imaging. Exceptionally high spatial resolution, good timing resolution, and excellent energy resolution are expected from the proposed detector design. The Phase I project was aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of producing high performance solid-state detectors that provide high sensitivity, spatial resolution, and timing characteristics. Energy resolution characteristics of the new detector were also investigated. The goal of the Phase II project is to advance the promising solid-state detector technology for small animal PET and determine its fullmore » potential. Detectors modules will be built and characterized and finally, a bench-top small animal PET system will be assembled and evaluated.« less

@article{osti_900321,
title = {A Very High Spatial Resolution Detector for Small Animal PET},
author = {Kanai Shah, M.S.},
abstractNote = {Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is an in vivo analog of autoradiography and has the potential to become a powerful new tool in imaging biological processes in small laboratory animals. PET imaging of small animals can provide unique information that can help in advancement of human disease models as well as drug development. Clinical PET scanners used for human imaging are bulky, expensive and do not have adequate spatial resolution for small animal studies. Hence, dedicated, low cost instruments are required for conducting small animal studies with higher spatial resolution than what is currently achieved with clinical as well as dedicated small animal PET scanners. The goal of the proposed project is to investigate a new all solid-state detector design for small animal PET imaging. Exceptionally high spatial resolution, good timing resolution, and excellent energy resolution are expected from the proposed detector design. The Phase I project was aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of producing high performance solid-state detectors that provide high sensitivity, spatial resolution, and timing characteristics. Energy resolution characteristics of the new detector were also investigated. The goal of the Phase II project is to advance the promising solid-state detector technology for small animal PET and determine its full potential. Detectors modules will be built and characterized and finally, a bench-top small animal PET system will be assembled and evaluated.},
doi = {10.2172/900321},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = 2007,
month = 3
}

At the Workshop on ''Electron-Beam Induced Spectroscopies at Very High Spatial Resolution,'' held in Aussois, France, the state of the art and where the field is (or should be) going was treated in depth. At the workshop the traveler made oral presentations on ionization localization effects on ALCHEMI measurements of Ni/sub 3/Al-based alloys, the complementary use of atom-probe field-ion microscopy, a rapporteur summary of the session on X-ray detectors, and a poster presentation on EXELFS characterization of amorphous and crystalline SiC and Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. Much useful information was obtained at the workshop that will directly influence the analytical electronmore » microscopy research at ORNL. In visits to the Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne, Switzerland, the the Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Grenoble, France, and to the Universite Paris-Sud, Centre d'Orsay, France, the performance of and research conducted with Philips EM430ST, JEM 4000EX, and VG HB5 instruments with various attachments and modifications were discussed. Demonstration provided by the hosts on these special instruments were particularly useful.« less

A conductivity probe and circuit were developed to measure salinities in sodium chloride salt-gradient solar ponds. A point-electrode salinometer design was chosen to give a spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm (0.039 in.). (Such high spatial resolution was necessary to study the behavior of thermohaline columns in the vicinity of convective/conductive zone interfaces.) The point-electrode conductivity instrument was designed for use in up to 25 wt % salinities with immersion times of about 0.1 year or longer. Drift in the instrument, caused principally by changes in the surface condition of the platinum probe tip and reflected by changes in themore » probe cell constant, required periodic in situ calibration against the measured specific gravity of withdrawn fluid samples. Other methods of salinity/density measurement are discussed.« less